Suspect linked to Monaco bomb attack on millionaire speaks to BBC from Ukrainian prison
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Suspect linked to Monaco bomb attack on millionaire speaks to BBC
Image source: Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Image caption: Vitalii Zhykovych appeared in open court during the summer and has spoken to the BBC from prison.
By Sarah Rainsford, Southern and Eastern Europe correspondent, and Mariana Matveichuk
Published 7 hours ago
A former Ukrainian security services officer linked to a bomb attack in Monaco in June that targeted a multi-millionaire says he believed it was ordered by senior members of HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence agency.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC from prison in Kyiv, facilitated by his lawyer, Vitalii Zhykovych has given his own account of the attempted assassination for the first time.
Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolayev and his 13-year-old son were badly hurt in the blast and his partner suffered catastrophic injuries. Yermolayev later described their survival as "nothing short of a miracle."
Zhykovych describes himself as a "freelancer" for Ukraine's SBU security service and says Anastasia Berezovska, the woman caught on camera planting the bomb in Monaco, was his "agent."
A week after the bombing, Berezovska's body was discovered in the woods west of Kyiv with gunshot wounds to the head.
But Zhykovych insists he did not send her to kill, and nor did he kill her. He was arrested and accused of her murder together with an active-duty intelligence officer from HUR called Vladyslav Reut.
Reut initially confessed to investigators, and led them to the shallow grave. But days later in court, he changed his testimony to blame Zhykovych.
For a long time, Zhykovych himself stayed silent. Now, responding to questions from the BBC, he alleges that Reut - who he refers to as "The Boss" - had "proposed the operation" in Monaco against Vadym Yermolayev.
He understood it was an official mission:
"As Reut informed me, this operation […] had been authorised and approved by Reut's superiors, who served in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence [HUR]," he says.
Distancing himself from the explosion itself, he alleges that Reut asked to use Berezovska for the bombing and when Zhykovych refused – he says she was not fully trained – Reut agreed to send her for reconnaissance instead.
The BBC asked HUR to comment on the latest claims. The agency has previously said that it is "committed to a full investigation" and providing "comprehensive support" to law enforcement bodies.
The SBU has described Zhykovych in a statement only as a "former law enforcement officer."
Image source: Ukraine prosecutors
Image caption: Two screengrabs from a surveillance video captured Anastasia Berezovska just before and during the explosion.
Yermolayev was attacked in Monaco as he and his family were returning from an evening meal on the seafront. A surveillance video shows Berezovska walking slightly in front of the group, then leaving the device in a bag on their doorstep. It detonates just as they get close, apparently shocking even Berezovska with its force.
Yermolayev later said he believed that serving HUR agents were responsible for the attack.